If you want to function and stay healthy, you need sufficient nutrients such as vitamins and minerals every day. Each nutrient has a Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA). The ADH indicates what a healthy person needs per day. This need varies by gender, age, weight and metabolism.

Certain nutrients are also processed in various supplements. Are these supplements also necessary if you have type 2 diabetes? We have listed all information about the use of nutritional supplements for type 2 diabetes for you.

View the Guidelines for Good Nutrition

If you eat according to the Good Nutrition Guidelines, you do not have to take supplements in principle. Sufficient vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts, fish, (vegetable) dairy products, cheese, legumes and a little meat and chicken (or full substitute) contain all the nutrients you need. Only if you don’t get enough vitamins and minerals through your diet, it can be useful to supplement them.

For example, people who do not eat any animal products do not ingest vitamin B12. They must take a vitamin B12 supplement in order not to become deficient in B12. And if you don’t eat bread and fish, you probably don’t get enough iodine. Then it may be smart to take some extra iodine.

Healthy Diet Guidelines for Type 2 Diabetes

The Healthy Food Guidelines also apply if you have type 2 diabetes. There is no official advice to take supplements. Unless it turns out you have a deficiency. Especially if you have eaten an unhealthy diet for a while, supplements can help. Your body then has to make up for the shortages and that takes time. Our nutrition experts are happy to help you with this.

Be careful not to take too much of the same supplement

For many nutrients you can take a maximum amount. If you take more than the recommended amount, this is not harmless.

A well-known example of taking too many nutritional supplements is top skater Sven Kramer. Because he structurally took too much vitamin B6, he suffered damage to his nerves. Vitamin B6 is extremely important for your body, but dangerous if you take too much of it.

Therefore, always read the labels of the nutritional supplements carefully. High doses (1400% of the RDI) are not uncommon in jars that you can buy at the drugstore. Although these doses do not (often) exceed the safe upper limit, taking several tablets or a combination with high concentrations in food can lead to annoying ailments. Therefore, keep an RDA of up to 100% for supplements.

Conclusion: are dietary supplements necessary for type 2 diabetes?

So there is not one clear answer to the question of whether you should necessarily take nutritional supplements if you have type 2 diabetes. This depends on your gender, age and weight, but also to a large extent on what you eat. Clear.bio can help you with this: record what you eat, place it in the app and you will see what effect this has on your blood sugar level.

Is your blood sugar level elevated and is there type 2 diabetes after eating highly processed products? Then it can pay off to take (temporary) supplements.

If you take nutritional supplements, be sure to read the label so that you know which nutrients and in what quantity you are taking them. In addition, use our tips on what to eat for a stable blood sugar level.

Within the Clear.bio nutritional program there is always room to ask questions about nutritional supplements to our nutrition experts.